2003 MERCEDES-BENZ E320 4MATIC WAGON Owner's Manual

126 Automatic climate control
Te ch n i c a l
data Instruments
and controlsOperationDrivingInstrument
cluster displayPractical hints Car care Index
Automatic climate control
2
1
3
3
4
5
6

127 Automatic climate control
Te ch n i c a l
data Instruments
and controlsOperationDrivingInstrument
cluster displayPractical hints Car care Index 1Air volume control for center air outlets, turn wheel
up to open.
2Air volume control for side air outlet and side
window defroster outlet.
To open side air outlets:
Turn wheel to position i.
To open defroster outlets:
Turn wheel to position l.
3Center air outlets, adjustable
4Side air outlet, adjustable
5Side defroster outlet
6Display and ControlsThe system is always at operational readiness, except
when manually switched off.
The automatic climate control only operates with the
engine running.
The temperature selector should be left at the desired
temperature setting. The temperature selected is
reached as quickly as possible.
The system will not heat or cool any quicker by setting a
higher or lower temperature.
The automatic climate control removes considerable
moisture from the air during operation in the cooling
mode. It is normal for water to drip on the ground
through ducts in the underbody.
The desired interior temperature can be selected
separately for the left and right side of the passenger
compartment.

128 Automatic climate control
Te ch n i c a l
data Instruments
and controlsOperationDrivingInstrument
cluster displayPractical hints Car care Index
Display and controlsPress the desired button to activate, indicator lamp is on
while activated.
UAutomatic mode
fRaise temperature
gLower temperature
PDefrost
OAir recirculation
eActivated charcoal filter
FRear window defroster
bAir distribution, manual
SEconomy mode
ïAir volume, manual
TResidual engine heat utilization
0
MAX
P83.40-2167-26

129 Automatic climate control
Te ch n i c a l
data Instruments
and controlsOperationDrivingInstrument
cluster displayPractical hints Car care Index Basic setting - Automatic mode
Press left and right U button for automatic mode.
Simultaneously press both f and g buttons for
temperature setting of 72
°F.
Air volume and distribution are controlled
automatically.
This setting can be used all year around.
Economy
The function of this setting corresponds to the
automatic mode. However, because the air conditioning
compressor will not engage (fuel savings), it is not
possible to air condition in this setting.
Press S button to activate.
Press S button once again to return to previous
setting.Special settings
(use only for short duration)
Defogging windows
Switch off O button.
Press left and right U buttons.
Press b button repeatedly until air is directed
upward.
Turn wheels (2) to position to open left and right
defroster outlets (5).
Defrosting
Turn wheels (2) to position l to open left and right
defroster outlets (5).
Press P button. Maximum heated and automatically
controlled amount of air is directed to the windshield
and side windows.Press P button once again to return to previous
setting.

130 Automatic climate control
Te ch n i c a l
data Instruments
and controlsOperationDrivingInstrument
cluster displayPractical hints Car care Index
Rear window defroster
Turn electronic key in steering lock to position 2.
To s el ect , p res s F button.
To cancel, press F button again.
Notes:
Heavy accumulation of snow and ice should be removed
before activating the defroster.
The rear window defroster uses a large amount of power.
To keep the battery drain to a minimum, turn off the
defroster as soon as the window is clear.
The defroster is automatically turned off after a
maximum of 12 minutes of operation.
If several power consumers are turned on
simultaneously, or the battery is only partially charged,
it is possible that the defroster will automatically turn
itself off. When this happens, the indicator lamp inside
the switch starts blinking.
As soon as the battery has sufficient voltage, the
defroster automatically turns itself back on.Air distribution
Press b button for each side repeatedly until the
requested symbol is displayed.
Press U button to return to automatic mode.
Air volume
Press - or + side of rocker switch ï until the
requested blower speed is attained. A choice of 7 blower
speeds is available.
To switch the automatic climate control off, press - side
of rocker switch ï until symbol OFF is displayed.The fresh air supply to the car interior is shut off.
While driving, use this setting only temporarily,
otherwise the windshield could fog up.
To switch the automatic climate control on again, press
U, P, or + side of ï.

131 Automatic climate control
Te ch n i c a l
data Instruments
and controlsOperationDrivingInstrument
cluster displayPractical hints Car care Index Air recirculation
This mode can be selected to temporarily reduce the
entry of annoying odors or dust into the vehicle’s
interior.
Outside air is not supplied to the car’s interior.
To s el ect , p res s O button.
To cancel, press O button again.
The system will automatically switch from recirculated
air to fresh air
•after approximately 5 minutes at outside
temperatures below approximately 41
°F (5
°C),
•after approximately 30 minutes, at outside
temperatures above approximately 41
°F (5
°C),
•after approximately 5 minutes, if button S is
pressed.
If the windows should fog up from the inside, switch
from recirculated air back to fresh air.
At high outside temperatures, the system automatically
engages the recirculated air mode thereby increasing
the cooling capacity performance, switching to partially
fresh air within 30 minutes.Dust filter
Nearly all dust particles and pollen are filtered out
before outside air enters the passenger compartment
through the air distribution system.
Notes:
Do not obstruct the air flow by placing objects on the air
flow through exhaust slots below the rear window.
Also keep the air intake grille in front of windshield free
of snow and debris.

132 Automatic climate control
Te ch n i c a l
data Instruments
and controlsOperationDrivingInstrument
cluster displayPractical hints Car care Index
Activated charcoal filter
An activated charcoal filter markedly reduces bad odors
and removes pollutants from the air entering the
passenger compartment.
To s el ect , p res s e button.
To cancel, press e button again.
The blower speed is slightly increased to supply a
constant volume of air.
The system switches automatically to the air
recirculation mode, if the carbon monoxide (CO) or
nitric oxide (NO
X) of the outside air increases beyond a
predetermined level.
When pressing button P or S, the filter is also
switched off.
Notes:
The automatic air recirculation does not function when
selecting the Economy mode S, or the outside
temperature is below 45
°F (7
°C).
The activated charcoal filter should be switched off
when windows fog up on the inside, or if the passenger
compartment needs to be quickly heated or cooled
down.Residual engine heat utilization
With the engine switched off, it is possible to continue
heating the interior for a short while.
Air volume and distribution are controlled
automatically.
To s e l e c t :
Turn electronic key in steering lock to position 1 or 0 or
remove electronic key. Close air outlet in rear passenger
compartment.
Press T button.
This function selection will not activate if the battery
charge level is insufficient.
To c a n c e l :
Press T button.
The system will automatically shut off
•If you turn electronic key in steering lock to
position 2,
•after approximately 30 minutes,
•if the battery voltage drops.

133 Automatic climate control
Te ch n i c a l
data Instruments
and controlsOperationDrivingInstrument
cluster displayPractical hints Car care Index Front center console
compartment ventilation
The front center console compartment has its own air
outlet.
To o pen :
Push lever down.
To c lo se:
Push lever up.
The air volume is dependent on the setting of the
•air volume control
•air distribution control
•air outlets in the dashboard and rear passenger
compartment.
The air temperature is about the same as that of the
dashboard air outlets. It cannot be regulated separately.Note:
The compartment can get very warm due to its confined
space. When storing heat sensitive objects in the
compartment, close the air outlet while heating the
passenger compartment.
Also, do not obstruct the air outlet.